Andrew
Bean might be a part of H.E.R.O., a secret organization for the
training of superhero sidekicks, but that doesn’t mean that life is all
leaping tall buildings in single bounds. First, there’s Drew’s power:
Possessed of super senses – his hearing, sight, taste, touch, and smell
are the most powerful on the planet – he’s literally the most sensitive
kid in school. There’s his superhero mentor, a former legend who now
spends more time straddling barstools than he does fighting crime. And
then there’s his best friend, Jenna – their friendship would be
complicated enough if she weren’t able to throw a Volkswagen the length
of a city block. Add in trying to keep his sidekick life a secret from
everyone, including his parents, and the truth is clear: Middle school
is a drag even with superpowers.

But this was all before a
supervillain long thought dead returned to Justicia, superheroes began
disappearing at an alarming rate, and Drew’s two identities threatened
to crash head-on into each other. Drew has always found it pretty easy
to separate right from wrong, good from evil. It’s what a superhero
does. But what happens when that line starts to break down?

I'm so excited to be sharing this guest post with you for this blog tour. I've always been interested in the dynamic between author and editor, so I jumped at the chance for this post: SIDEKICKED's author, John David Anderson, was interviewed by his editor for this book, Jordan Brown. The entertaining result is below.

Jordan Brown: Let’s get the classic question out of the way first:
if you could only have one superpower, what would it be?

John David Anderson: It changes every day. Running late
to take the kids to tennis lessons I found myself wishing for teleportation.
Mind control would have been handy the other day when I tried to convince the
cable company that they were overcharging me.Or telekinesis for those times you are stranded without toilet paper (if I could just open the cabinet under the
bathroom sink...). It might be fun to be able to rearrange the entire
molecular structure of the universe: Like playing with an infinite number of
Lego bricks, except I'd be afraid I wouldn't be able to put it back together
right.

Let’s be honest, though. If I did have a superpower I
would still just use it for mundane stuff: like using laser vision to make
water boil faster by looking at it or frost breath to lower my air-conditioning
bill. You probably don't want me saving the world.

Jordan Brown: Were you a big fan of comics and superheroes growing
up? What inspiration did you draw (or not draw) from this?

John David Anderson: I was and I wasn’t. I didn’t collect
comics—just mooched off of friends—but I was profoundly influenced by the
mythology. I remember pretending to be every tights-wearing paragon imaginable,
flying through the house, leaping over couches in a single bound, smashing
potato chips between my fists in threatening gestures as I warned imaginary henchmen
that I was not to be trifled with. My imagination was populated by a tableau of
superheroes, Star Wars characters,
and cartoon miscreants. I’m not sure where all this came from: books, film,
clubhouse conversations, advertising. I think it was important, though, that I
never got overly immersed in comics. I
have an appreciation for the genre and its practitioners and enough of a basic
understanding of the conventions of superhero narratives that I could pervert
them to my own ends.

Jordan Brown: You did some great work throughout the drafting
process developing the various minor and major superheroes we meet in the book,
building out the history of the completely original superhero world you created
here. Is there anything in particular you discovered while digging into
this backstory?

John David Anderson: That you could edit a book and
actually make it longer.The great thing about going back to the novel to revise it was
stepping outside of Drew’s head to get a sense of the bigger picture. My
initial draft was so focused on his remarkable (and yet myopic) vision of the
world, that I sometimes overlooked how rich that world could be. There are
things Drew takes for granted that readers might not. So as the book evolved, I
tried to flesh out Justicia and its inhabitants a little, rounding out the
heroes and villains that populated it, drawing out the motives of other
characters, but still trying to keep Drew’s often ambivalent attitude about the
whole thing as the focal point. I think several of the adult characters grew as
a result of that process, but perhaps the character who benefited most from the
revision was Jenna, who, in my opinion, ends up being even more conflicted than
Drew. Like him, I still don't quite understand that girl. And I created her.

Jordan Brown: Many of the powers with which you imbue your
characters seem to be particularly suited to their personalities: for instance,
our hero, Andrew Bean, a thoughtful and sensitive guy, is quite literally
possessed of super-senses. How did you go about choosing the various
powers for your characters?

John David Anderson: Some of them are admittedly typecast
(Gavin's literally rock-hard muscles). Some provided much needed comic relief
(Mike's shocking fear of self-electrocution). Most of the sidekicks have powers
that compliment their personalities, but for Drew the power provided something
extra: a way of looking at the world—and writing about it—from a slightly
skewed perspective. His power is as much a burden as a blessing, I think, and
much of the novel is him struggling to decide if it's even worth having,
especially given the circumstances he finds himself in. Like many kids his age,
he sits on the cusp of a more adult world full of responsibility and codes and
severe consequences and yet barely equipped to tackle them. Even with his
powers, he still has a lot of growing up to do.

Jordan Brown: Most of the characters in the book are struggling with
the concept of heroism – the moral questions, the responsibility, the moments
when being “good” might just not be good enough. What do you think is the
hardest part about being a superhero?

John David Anderson:The hours. When do they sleep? And for the flyers all those
bugs—shouldn't they wear goggles? And then there's the revolving door
prison—that's got to be frustrating, knowing that almost as soon as you put
somebody behind bars they are going to bust out and hold the city for ransom
again. And I hear the paparazzi are terrible. And the underground lairs almost
always have mold.

In all honestly, though, I think it must be hard being
that selfless. At their best, superheroes are purely altruistic, willing to
sacrifice everything for the "greater good." They don't have time to
watch Animal Planet with their kids
(that they probably don't even have), or go on a date, or just lay in the
hammock with a good book. I remember watching the first Superman, the scene with him flying through the air with Lois Lane,
and thinking "Dude, there are probably eighty crimes going on RIGHT NOW
and you're just showing off for some GIRL!? So unrealistic!" Of course at
the time I was twelve and just wanted Christopher Reeve to punch something, but
even now I think about the real heroes in the world and admire them for all of
the time, sweat, money, and lives they sacrifice so the rest of us can pursue
our often self-motivated ends.

Jordan Brown: Do you think that, deep down, everyone is either a
hero or a villain? Or is it more complicated than that?

John David Anderson: I think, deep down, we have
the capacity to be both, but that our default is actually bystander. In some
ways I worry that our primary impulse is to sit back and watch as crimes or tragedies unfold around us. Most of us are voyeurs—the
gaping gawkers that stand outside the pool in the first chapter of the book,
oohing and aahing as the action unfolds before them. I'm not sure that's
admirable. Bystanders, yes, but does that mean we are innocent?

The question is, when we are compelled to act, where do we stand? Do we gravitate more to the
nefarious or the noble? There is something alluring about villainy: the chance
to undermine or circumvent all the codes and laws in order to pursue your own
ends, especially if you question the codes and laws to begin with. Ultimately,
though, I think that, if pressed, our capacity for love and empathy and our sense
of community take hold, and we err to the side of heroism. Our history and
culture are not without their share of villains, but our heroes still outnumber
them in droves—we just don't hear about them as often. Still, it's a choice...that
is, once you realize you don't need a pair of tights and a snazzy mask to go
make a difference in the world.

Jordan Brown: Can you tell us a bit about your next
book,Minion?

John David Anderson:Minion tackles many of
the same issues as Sidekicked, but
from the other side of the metropolis. The book’s protagonist is an antihero
who is decidedly anti hero. He is
undoubtedly a criminal; yet he struggles with many of the same issues as Drew
does: the difference between what's right and what's best, the search for
identity, and the desperate need find someone to trust in a world of men in
masks.

Oh yeah. And there are explosions and battles and bank
robberies and crushes and people being
crushed and people who shoot thorns out of their skin and all the things that
make a book really worth reading too.

Spoiler alert: It doesn't have any pill-shaped,
suspenders-wearing, banana-loving henchmen. I love those guys.

Thank you so much to Walden Pond Press and John and Jordan for sharing this interview!

And now, you have a chance to win your own Signed, Hardcover copy of SIDEKICKED

welcome!

Hi! I'm Jillian Heise (pronounced Hi-Z). I'm a K-5 Library Media Teacher in southeastern Wisconsin. I previously taught 7th & 8th grade ELA in the Milwaukee area for eleven years & am National Board Certified. I am a passionate advocate for student choice in reading and the power of shared stories through #classroombookaday picture book read alouds. I also bring my literacy expertise and knowledge of books to my role as Chair of the WSRA Children’s Literature Committee.

In accordance with FTC regulations, this policy is valid from 1 August 2010. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by Jillian Heise. At times, I receive books for free from publishers or authors in exchange for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own and I am not compensated for opinions or reviews.